NEGROS Occidental – The Province of Negros Occidental once again brought home national recognition, emerging as grand winner and runners-up in three categories during the prestigious Pearl Awards at the 26th Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) National Convention held in Baguio City on October 2, 2025.
Negros Occidental was named Grand Winner for Best Event Hosting – International Category for its successful hosting of Terra Madre 2024, themed “Restoring our Relationship with Nature.” This marks a back-to-back win for the province, which previously received the same award for the 2023 international event Terra Madre: Food and Culture Biodiversity.
The province also earned first runner-up for Best Event Hosting – Local for the Negros Trade Fair 2024, themed “Halad,” and second runner-up for Best Institutionalized Program for Culture and the Arts for its entry “Sugar Cultural Landscape of Negros.” Notably, the third entry is currently listed in UNESCO’s tentative list for a World Heritage Site.
Beyond provincial recognition, several Negros Occidental cities and municipalities also stood out:
* Sipalay City – grand winner, Best Tourism Week/Month Celebration for the 18th Sipalay City Tourism Month Celebration
* Bago City – grand winner, Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism for Booming GREEN AGritOurism (BAGO)
* Silay City – grand winner, Best Tourism-Oriented LGU; 2nd Runner-up, Best Practices for Community-Based Tourism for Hacienda Adela Folklore Village: Championing Regenerative Culture and Tourism
* Bacolod City – grand winner, Best Event Hosting (Local) for the Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival: Inasal Global; 1st runner-up, Best Cultural Festival for the MassKara Festival: The Sapphire Celebration
The ATOP National Convention, held from October 1 to 4, serves as an annual platform for tourism leaders nationwide to share best practices, discuss industry trends, and promote sustainability and innovation in the tourism sector. Negros Occidental’s remarkable performance highlights the province’s continuing excellence in tourism, reinforcing its reputation as the “Land of Sweet Surprises.”/PN
